Matisse alive at Art Gallery of NSW

Offering new perspectives on the ideas and innovations of the great twentieth-century painter, Matisse alive comprises four separate but connected solo exhibitions of the work of contemporary artists Nina Chanel Abney (USA), Sally Smart (Australia), Angela Tiatia (Samoa/New Zealand/Australia) and Robin White (New Zealand). Each artist responds in dynamic and varying ways to the art of Henri Matisse, revealing its vitality today and reconsidering Matisse's key concerns, among them his portrayal of odalisques, his use of textiles, and his response to Oceania. Young African-American artist Nina Chanel Abney presents an edgy and topical mural and painting project; significant Australian artist Sally Smart creates a large-scale cut-out assemblage installation in her investigation into female subjectivity; Samoan-born, Sydney-based artist Angela Tiatia produces an immersive video in response to Matisse's Oceania works through her research in Tahiti; and New Zealand's revered senior artist Robin White presents new collaborative works in masi, or tapa, expanding on her deep knowledge of and respect for Matisse's practice.Image details: Angela Tiatia Hibiscus rosa sinensis 2010 (video still). Art Gallery of New South Wales. Contemporary Collection Benefactors 2019 © Angela Tiatia; Robin White with Ruha Fifita Ko e hala hangatonu: the straight path I, the avenue 2013 © Robin White. Photo: Jennifer French, installation at Two Rooms, Auckland; Sally Smart The choreography of cutting 2017 © Sally Smart. Photo: Fajar Riyanto, installation view OFCA, Yogyakarta; Nina Chanel Abney Seized the Imagination, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, New York, November 9 - December 20, 2017 © Nina Chanel Abney. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York